Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

Compared to the lively and bustling atmosphere of the Code 11 crew, the Code Falcon team was much quieter. Maple Leaf TV had originally been promoting Code Falcon with great fanfare, but they recently realized that publicity could no longer save the drama’s downward trend.

Code 11 held the number 3 spot on the ratings chart for three days. After the broadcast of Episode 18, the show’s viewership rose to 2nd place. By this time, the only station ranked ahead of Sunrise TV was Dajiang TV.

However, while Code 11’s ratings were steadily climbing, Code Falcon failed to maintain its 7th-place position.

Maple Leaf TV watched helplessly as Code Falcon dropped from 7th to 9th, and then to 11th. The drama’s discussion rate was also plummeting. Even when searching for real-time updates on Code Falcon, the results were mostly topics related to Code 11.

On the other hand, discussions regarding the lead actor, Qin Yi, began to increase bit by bit.

“Has anyone heard? Qin Yi changed his manager. When he first got famous, his fans begged him to switch, but he wouldn’t. As soon as Code Falcon flopped, he kicked the guy to the curb. That was fast.”

One day, a pinned post suddenly appeared on the homepage of a television drama forum.

“Because the contrast is too tragic. Just look at our homepage. These past few days have been nothing but discussions about Code 11.”

“He was handed such a good script and didn’t take it. Who else can he blame? Sigh, a person’s luck is truly hard to predict. Qin Yi’s intestines are probably turning green with regret right now.”

“What’s the use of regret? I heard Cheng Yuan’s endorsement fees are already in the millions. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he reached the heavens in a single step, right?”

“Qin Yi is clearly shifting the blame to his manager; otherwise, he can’t give his fans an explanation. Didn’t he previously use passive-aggressive tactics to put down Lin Ji? Dying of laughter, he was the one who did things so heartlessly first.”

“I estimate that Code 11 surpassing Dajiang TV is only a matter of time. With these ratings, the Top 5 on the annual list is definitely no problem.”

“That’s conservative, it’s absolutely Top 3 for the year. Have you guys seen the news? The scripts that used to be sent to Qin Yi are now being sent to Cheng Yuan first.”

“Don’t just talk about the male lead. Ms. Chen has received quite a few female lead scripts. It’s said that even Yu Muzi is looking for serious dramas to film lately. The billing order doesn’t matter; what matters is a good script and a good character.”

“Sheesh, even the billing order demons are starting to stop caring about their rank. Little Lin was just born to cure these people.”

Scanning the heart-stabbing comments in the forum, Qin Yi couldn’t help but purse his lips tightly.

When Code 11 first aired, everyone in the circle knew the role of Lou Zhi was first offered to Qin Yi, so they said Cheng Yuan was just a substitute. But now, Cheng Yuan’s popularity and fame were advancing by leaps and bounds. In the eyes of official media, Cheng Yuan, who perfectly presented the image of a hero, was already a representative of the new generation of skilled actors.

Meanwhile, Code Falcon was criticized by official media for its “suspended” plot: “…presenting non-existent plots and overly perfect character images to the audience. This kind of beautification serves no positive purpose. Instead, it causes the audience to overlook the suffering of the people during that era. Only the people can save the people; heroes come from the people.”

Qin Yi was slowly becoming the substitute for Cheng Yuan.

To a certain extent, what threatened Qin Yi’s status was not only the rise of Cheng Yuan but also the negative impact brought by Code Falcon, including Qin Yi rejecting Code 11 for Code Falcon, his arrogant refusal to meet Lin Ji, the name change of Code Falcon, and the scheduling conflict with Code 11.

The more popular Code 11 became, the more indefensible the actions of the Code Falcon crew became. Code 11 was chosen to air before Lou Zhi’s birth anniversary, and 11 was indeed Lou Zhi’s code name. The choices made by the Code 11 crew were all justified; Code Falcon was purely clout-chasing.

If the ratings of Code Falcon could have crushed Code 11, Qin Yi would not be mocked like he was now. In the world of television, ratings are the only hard truth. Code Falcon could not beat Code 11, so Qin Yi had to bear all the consequences of failure.

He really wanted to punch himself, but he knew better than anyone that there was no medicine for regret in this world.

* * *

Regardless of how the Code Falcon crew felt, the ratings for Code 11 continued to rise.

The hot topic of discussion in the television circle recently was: when could Code 11 take the daily champion spot?

“I guess it will be the grand finale.”

“Maybe in a few more days? The drama currently airing on Dajiang TV is also quite good, the quality is very stable.”

“It’s truly miraculous. When I first started following Code 11, it was only ranked 15th on the ratings list. Just rising like that, it’s actually reached 2nd now.”

“+1. The most important thing is, this is Sunrise TV!”

The staff of Sunrise TV was already beside themselves.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that in the decades since Sunrise TV was established, the number of times it squeezed into the top three of the ratings list could be counted on one hand, let alone the stroke of luck that was sprinting for the daily champion.

Code 11 did not just bring massive traffic to the station. Recently, when the station director went out for meetings, fellow station directors all ran to him to ask for advice. The higher-ups even specifically held a seminar for Code 11, gathering the directors of major satellite stations to study and discuss how to film adaptations of real history.

In the past, these opportunities to show off belonged to the fellow satellite stations; Sunrise TV had never enjoyed them.

Beyond the heat of the drama, the figure of Lou Zhi also began to be well-known by the public. For Sunrise TV, this was an extremely successful piece of promotion for the platform.

Additionally, the upcoming dramas being prepared by Sunrise TV have gained the favor of celebrities, both big and small, in the circle. Regardless of whether the stars themselves were willing to participate, at the very least, they would not toss a Sunrise TV script aside.

The producer couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Reaching out a cooperation with Lin Ji was clearly the most correct decision the station had ever made.

* * *

Nie Ou monitored the ratings dynamics of Code 11 at all times. She had started watching the show for Chen Cheng, but after the character Shen Yin went offline, she continued to follow the drama.

Lately, it wasn’t just her and her father chasing the show; her mother had also joined the viewing group. The Heiress could be watched anytime and anywhere, but Code 11 only aired during the prime-time slot in the evening.

Nie Ou wanted to complain that Sunrise TV didn’t know how to make money. If they rebroadcast Code 11 during the day, the ratings would absolutely be higher than the current “Health Lecture Hall.” At the very least, they could collaborate with video platforms like Chaoxing TV or Qike Video; the platforms certainly wouldn’t refuse a hit drama currently on air.

However, she then thought that if it weren’t for Sunrise TV’s stubborn, “earthy” style, they probably wouldn’t have produced a high-quality masterpiece like Code 11.

Nie Ou sincerely hoped Code 11 could take the daily champion spot. This would mean that Chen Cheng would have her first daily champion drama!

—Although her Sister Cheng’s screen time in the drama wasn’t much.

Chen Cheng’s fans had already come to terms with it. So what if she wasn’t the “Big Female Lead”? So what if her screen time was limited? What mattered was whether the actor could benefit from the show’s success. Code 11 was clearly the type of drama that brought dividends. After the character Shen Yin went offline, Chen Cheng’s Weibo followers grew by a full million.

For an actress whose fan base was already established, this number of new followers was startling!

Chen Cheng even received collaboration invitations from several luxury brands—brands known for their individualistic and colorful styles, rather than the currently popular “fairy” style. In the past, when Chen Cheng played more “little white flower” roles, the brands she encountered were mostly fairy-themed.

While the fairy style was pretty, Nie Ou always felt it didn’t suit Chen Cheng herself. Recently, Chen Cheng’s several new looks had brightened her eyes, feeling as if her idol had directly ascended to become a queen!!

* * *

After Code 11 aired up to Episode 21, Nie Ou realized that the opportunity to fight for the daily champion had arrived!

The first 20 episodes had already laid the groundwork. There were thrilling scenes and scenes of witnessing comrades sacrifice themselves. Lou Zhi brushed past danger again and again, always managing to transmit information as quickly and accurately as possible.

But starting from Episode 21, Lou Zhi encountered a massive crisis.

During the broadcast of these episodes, Mother Nie stopped cracking sunflower seeds, and Father Nie stopped muttering. The eyes of the family of three were fixed tightly on the television. The living room was silent, even to the point of being described as deathly still.

Lin Ji adapted this drama based on Lou Zhi’s real experiences. Nie Ou knew Lou Zhi was ultimately safe, but despite this, she still felt nervous for him while watching.

“It’s over? It’s over again!”

When the ending song of the second episode of the night rang out, Father Nie grumbled angrily, “Can’t they just finish the whole thing in one go?”

“Is the TV station owned by your family?” Mother Nie glanced at him. “It’s not like there’s nothing to watch tomorrow.”

However, she had been so immersed that the sudden end left her somewhat dissatisfied as well.

“Shouldn’t Code 11 be the daily champion now?”

Nie Ou complained to her friends while waiting for the new day’s ratings ranking to be released.

But when she casually picked up her phone and saw the name of the drama ranked first, she still froze.

Nie Ou had always had full confidence in Code 11‘s charge for the daily champion, but she had never imagined that this day would arrive so quickly!

On the ratings chart, the drama ranked first was impressively Sunrise TV’s Code 11!

The ratings were 3.29%, with the viewership share ranking first among all major satellite stations!

The show directly behind Code 11 was Dajiang TV’s Living in My Hometown. Following that were dramas from Qinglan TV and Xingzhou TV. Maple Leaf TV’s Code Falcon was ranked 19th.

“??? Code 11 is super, super badass!!”

“I can say that Sunrise TV taking the daily champion is a miracle moment in the entire history of television!!”

“3.29% ratings!! This is just the starting stage of the final big plot arc for Code 11. I can’t imagine how high the ratings will soar on the day of the finale.”

“Ten-plus days, from rank 19 to rank 1. Badass!”

“Am I the only one who noticed? Code Falcon is ranked 19th today. Isn’t that the ranking Code 11 had on its first day of broadcast?”

“Dying of laughter. Code Falcon mocked Code 11 for so long, the boomerang finally hit their own body.”

“The logic of Code Falcon’s birth was: Maple Leaf TV was dissatisfied with The Heiress making their ratings drop below Top 10, so they invited Gu Lenian to write a new show. As it turns out, Code Falcon couldn’t even stabilize the ratings of the previous show, and it’s about to drop below Top 20.”

“How could it be so pathetic?”

“Who told it to act smart and insist on airing in the same time slot as Code 11?”

This was Sunrise TV’s first daily champion drama, and it was also Lin Ji’s first drama to air on a satellite station. Taking the ratings championship with his very first satellite drama could be considered a dream opening for any screenwriter.

The claims that Lin Ji couldn’t write serious dramas or mix in the satellite TV circle were no longer mentioned by anyone.

Three web dramas, one satellite drama. The web dramas took viewership championships, and the satellite drama took the ratings championship. Even the most demanding peers had nothing to say about such results.

Furthermore, Code 11 was visibly going to be a phenomenal drama. After reaching the daily champion spot, its upward pace still showed no sign of stopping.

3.29%, 3.4%, 3.87%… 4.1%!!

“Holy sh*t, has Code 11 gone crazy?”

“It broke 4%!”

The last 10 episodes were the massive climax of the entire Code 11 series. The more episodes aired, the higher the ratings soared. When the first 20 episodes aired, Code 11 had already been praised by countless media outlets and drama critics. But as the final episodes were broadcast, the critics found that those praises were not enough—they were completely insufficient to describe the brilliance of the subsequent plot!

NOTES

Official media (官媒): State-run or government-affiliated media organizations.

Billing order / billing: The order in which actors’ names appear in the credits, signifying their status and importance. Actors or their fans who are obsessively competitive about whose name appears first in the credits are hence called “billing order demons.”

Intestines turning green with regret (悔得肠子都青了): A Chinese idiom meaning “to regret something deeply.”

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